Business Spotlight-Full Article

BUSINESS OF THE MONTH: BetaBfit

Kanabec County Times,
March 3, 2016
Written by Scott McKinney

Toni Fulton, CPT, is a Master Fitness Trainer and the owner of BetaBFit Personal Training and Consulting, with locations in Mora and Princeton. The business’s purpose is summed up in its name: “Betta Be Fit!”

“My tagline is ‘Practical Fitness for our Unpractical Lives’ Toni said. “I help my clients build healthy lifestyles, with a personal and personalized approach. I find out what they do in their days, the things they love to do, and what they’ll use their new-found fitness for. I want them to be fit enough to do those things, now and in the future. Everybody walks a different path; I just take what they do, and help them build fitness into it.”

“I’m hearing from people that are not aware of what a fitness trainer does. I work with regular people who want to have prac­tical fitness in their unpractical lives. That’s my biggest challenge as a trainer. I’m not trying to get people to be fit like me … I want them to be fit like them.”

Toni’s background in training and sales/marketing are put to good use with BetaBFit. “I first went to school for marketing and sales, planning to climb the corporate ladder. But a corporate job was not me; I’m way more hands-on. I’ve always enjoyed staying fit so took a job managing a Nordic Track kiosk in Dulu­th, and I got really good at it. I found I was giving away fitness advice, and already was helping a lot of people, so I got my Aero­bics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) personal training certification.”

“I started offering in-home training, then club training, while working other jobs. I did that for many years; but after getting laid off from a management job in St. Cloud, I decided to go full-time and haven’t looked back. I then decided to expand my classes, so I got certified in Zumba, Zumba Gold, Zumba and several certifications in Silver Sneakers. Recently and have been approved to offer Silver and Fit discounts for classes and personal training.”

Toni’s next steps were to find locations in which to see clients.

“My husband runs Rum River Promotions in Princeton. There was a space open in his building, and in June 2014 we made a deal to use it as a training center. Some of my clients made the drive over to Princeton, and that’s how things got started.”

“I continued seeing clients in Mora, and I’m on the Mora Area Chamber of Commerce, so I started looking for another location. A client told me that the owners of Evolution Tae Kwan Do Cen­ter uses their space in the evenings only, so we met in August 2015 and they were quite receptive to sharing space during the daytime. My clients were very happy to move with me into a more private location. Because of this I’ve been able to expand my client base and offer youth training, group training, nutrition coaching classes, and more.”

Toni says that what sets BetaBFit apart from other training op­tions are her results and her experience. “We’re a private training location, unique in the area. And my expertise as a master trainer is second to none; that comes with experience. I show people that what they’ve done before isn’t working, and how we can come together and work out a better plan. We’re a team; we’re in this together. My success depends on their success. I work with each client, building them a unique plan for fitness and nutri­tion, and then hold them accountable during our one-on-one sessions.”

“It’s all about having somebody in your corner. I find out what a client’s needs are, and go from there. We do a little bit more today than we did last week. On their own, clients may not see that what they’re doing is making a difference:’

BetaBFit offers flexible training sessions for people who may not have a lot of time. “Most people who come to me are at the point where they’re not listening to excuses from themselves anymore. Toni said. “They’re ready to put this in somebody else’s hands. I can show them how they have the time in their days to achieve practical fitness.”

BetaBFit Personal Training and Con­sulting is located at 519 First Street in Princeton, and at 42 North Union Street in downtown Mora. Call Toni Fulton at 612-390-0765, or e-mail her at toni@betabfit.com.Visit her web­site, betabfit.com, and find her on Facebook/Betabfit.